| ID: | 82853 |
|---|---|
| Country: | Nigeria |
| Title: | Nigeria - Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) – November 2023 |
| Description: |
A member of the Albarka Women’s Multi-Purpose Cooperative cuts a compressed briquette from the compression machine’s output tube at the cooperative's briquette-making facility in Nasarawa local government area, Nasarawa State, northcentral Nigeria. This action marks the completion of the compression process, yielding formed briquettes ready for drying under the sun, packaging and subsequent use. Empowered by the IFAD/VCDP Gender Action Learning System, women’s cooperatives have learned conflict resolution skills, fostering unity and harmony among members. The financial gains from briquette making have notably transformed the women's lives, enabling them to support their households financially, marking a significant positive change. “Things would have been so different without the VCDP. I have a livelihood; my life has been transformed,” said Lobabatu Adamo Ibrahim, leader. “Before, my husband paid the school fees for our five children. Now, I can also contribute. It gives new meaning to everything. The project has given me hope.” Lobabatu is not the only woman in the community who benefitted from the VCDP support. Most of the women were fulltime housewives, and the briquette production has brought them together in solidarity, giving them a new direction. They work and benefit collectively. Since they have started earning their own money, the women are able to support their families with household expenses. They use their collective earnings to make improvements to their business, such as buying a motorized tricycle for transportation, and to help the less privileged. The women were amazed by the knowledge VCDP shared with them – that they could take simple waste that they had always known and seen around them and use it to make something of value. At first, they had doubts. But they're getting it right now. Everyone is happy and the result of their work is very impressive. People in their community and beyond have gradually started to replace charcoal and firewood with briquettes, and the demand is increasing. In fact, keeping up with the increasing demand is a challenge for the women. As a briquette producer, Lobabatu feels excited when she walks through the village and sees people using her product. “I'm always excited to discover that people are using the briquettes,” she told. “I tell them that it was the VCDP that showed us the way to make them. They benefit, and our group benefits, too. We are all happy.” Other women in the community are queueing up to join the group. “My ambition is to produce briquettes in such massive quantity that my children growing up tomorrow will not remember the old practice of chopping down trees and making use of firewood and charcoal. They will have no memory of that at all. That is my dream,” said Lobabatu. The Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP), which started its activities in 2014, works in close coordination with local government across nine states—Anambra, Benue, Ebonyi, Enugu, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, and Taraba—on developing cassava and rice value chains for smallholder farmers, rolling out development initiatives that aim to reduce post-harvest losses, strengthen food security and accelerate economic growth. Building strong public-private-producer partnerships (4Ps) has provided a solid pathway for reaching sustainable transformation in rural communities where agriculture is a mainstay of economic activity. VCDP helps households adopt sustainable and climate resilient practices, as well as dietary diversity that leads to better nutrition and health benefits. The project has benefited almost 100,000 rural people, in particular women and youth. The number of households living in poverty has decreased by almost 50 per cent, while agricultural income of more than 60 per cent of VCDP-supported beneficiaries has increased by 25 per cent. |
| Size: | 17.29 MB; 6480 x 4320 pixels; 549 x 366 mm (print at 300 DPI); 1714 x 1143 mm (screen at 96 DPI); |
| Show more details: | Andrew Esiebo |
| Copyright: | ©IFAD/Andrew Esiebo |
| Categories: | New from West and Central Africa |
| URL: | www.ifad.org |
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